THE teenage daughter of murder victim David Guilfoyle has made an emotional appeal for help to trace his killer.
Heartbroken Sammy Feeley bravely faced a press conference on Wednesday as police offered a £5,000 reward for information to solve the crime.
Sammy, 15, said she had not given up hope that her father would come home despite it being more than eight weeks since he vanished from his £230,000 bungalow in Royds Avenue, Accrington.
Sammy, who lives with her mum Angela Feeley in Lime Street, Accrington, said she was due to stay at her father's home on the night he disappeared and wonders if he would still be alive if she had.
She said: "I stayed with my dad every Wednesday but I was unable to go that night as I had been poorly. I get really upset as I don't know where he is.
"I was really close to my dad. He took me on holiday, we went to the cinema and ate out afterwards, and he would ring me during the week. I even went to watch him play snooker because I was so proud of him and it meant I could spend more time with him.
"I often received text messages from him when I was on holiday telling me he loved me. I miss him so much and think about him constantly. Since my dad went missing, I feel there is something missing in my life and I have an ache inside me that just won't go away. Please help me find my dad."
Sammy, a Year 10 pupil at The Hollins Technology College, Accrington, said Mr Guilfoyle had seemed his normal self in the weeks leading up to his disappearance.
She said she hoped whoever was responsible for his murder would eventually get what they deserve.
Acting Detective Superint-endent Steve Brunskill, who praised Sammy's bravery in facing press, radio and TV, said a small, dark-coloured car had been seen parked outside Mr Guilfoyle's home on Wednesday nights in the run-up to his disappearance.
He said: "If you are the owner of the car or know who is we would like to hear from you."
Police are treating the inquiry as a murder investigation as bloodstains show Mr Guilfoyle, a wealthy businessman with criminal connections, was violently attacked at the front of his house after returning home from the pub on Wednesday 25 May.
Mr Brunskill revealed 130 witnesses have been interviewed and 469 statements obtained but his team of 25 detectives still needs to trace 83 of Mr Guilfoyle's associates.
He added: "We have spoken to most of his business associates and nothing has come out of that to suggest anyone bore him a grudge."
A police underwater search team is set to explore Hagg Lodge in Accrington.
In addition to the £5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and imprisonment of the killer, another reward is available for information leading to the recovery of Mr Guilfoyle's body.
Call Crimestoppers in confidence on 0800 555 111 or ring the incident room on 353626 or 353615.
